The yacht's interior
spaces echo the same design themes as her exterior: flat surfaces, angles
rather than curves, and a minimalist decor (if one can imagine using the
word minimalist in connection with a 232-foot yacht). Bulkheads, overheads,
and decks are finished in muted tones that complement the yacht's
gray exterior, while simple but boldly colored furnishings add visual
punch. There is nothing fussy or pretentious. She's not a gallery
for showing off artwork and sculpture, and there are no precious fabrics
to be spoiled by a stray glass of wine. Skat is a yacht to simply come
aboard, relax, and enjoy.

As impressive and imaginative
as her styling and appearance may be, those aspects are but half the story
of this yacht. Every facet of her engineering, construction, and systems
reflect a strict attention to detail and a singular commitment to purpose.

For example, consider
the design of her hull, a full-displacement form intended for cruising
at 15 knots and capable of a 17-knot top speed. An extensive program of
scale-model testing was undertaken at the Hamburg Ship Model Basin to
confirm the naval architect's design calculations and to establish
the yacht's speed, fuel consumption, seakeeping, and maneuverability.
At a model scale of 1/10.4, the scale model itself was the size of a runabout,
more than 22 feet long. Self-propelled, the model was fitted with shafts,
brackets, stabilizer fins, and rudders, along with dynamometers and instruments
to measure propeller thrust, torque, and rpm at different speeds. The
model was built to accommodate either of two different forebody shapes,
a normal yacht stem or a more ship-like bulbous bow. During the course
of testing, optimization of the bulbous bow was found to produce a fuel
savings of about 15 percent. Similar optimization of the rudder and stabilizers
produced an additional nine percent savings in fuel consumption.

Equal rigor was applied
to the design of the machinery and systems, especially in relation to
control of noise and vibration. Two big, stainless steel-encapsulated
exhaust systems dominate the upper regions of the machinery space, reducing
main engine exhaust noise to barely audible levels. Both main engines
and all three gensets are mounted in a sound-absorbing enclosure within
the center of the engine room, on an isolation foundation that eliminates
the transfer of noise and vibration into the hull. In addition, floors
and ceilings throughout the yacht are soft-mounted to eliminate propagation
of noise or vibration through the structure.

All main systems are
redundant, and in fact, the yacht is able to achieve a speed of 13 knots
on just one engine. A cooling pump integrated into the gearboxes assures
safe operation on one engine by pumping oil through the idle gearbox.
The shaft of the idle engine can be disengaged, leaving the idle propeller
and shaft to freewheel.

Other details received
no less attention. Consider, for example, the design requirements for
the motorcycle lift, which runs from a lower deck up to the main deck.
In its lowered position, the elevator platform had to have a low profile,
but it could not be recessed into the deck. In the raised position, the
platform had to be flush with the main deck. But to complicate matters,
all mechanical parts had to be hidden from view when the platform was
in its raised position. The solution was a drive system similar to that
used for theater stages, using a chain hoist to raise the platform about
two-thirds of the way, and a scissors mechanism within the platform for
the remainder of the lift.

Equally sophisticated
is the system for launch and retrieval of the tenders through large, rectangular
hatches in either side of the hull. A system of hydraulic rams pushes
the hatch door straight out to the side, then rotates it to a horizontal
position. A pair of horizontal beams then extends through the hatch opening,
permitting launch and retrieval of the tender. The whole operation occurs
with the touch of a single button, in about as much time as it takes to
read this description of it.

Skat abounds
with impressive and innovative features, from the vacuum system in her
bilge to the helideck on her bridge. With mathematical precision, her
design and construction cover all the angles.